Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas – a great Mexican dinner that comes together in no time at all. Cream cheese, Rotel tomatoes, and chicken make the filling. Cheesy, easy, and delicious. I may earn commissions for purchases made through links on this post.
CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
We love these enchiladas. They are ridiculously easy and one of those meals that you probably already have the ingredients in your house. We already love these Honey Lime Enchiladas but this chicken enchilada recipe is a little richer and fantastic.
Sometimes I add some salsa verde one time for some extra kick if that’s what you’re into. These are rich and indulgent! I use flour tortillas but you can use corn tortillas if you like.
CHEESE
I use Monterey Jack in these enchiladas. For a spicy twist use Pepper Jack cheese or cheddar cheese for a stronger cheese taste.
HOW TO COOK CHICKEN
For this recipe you can cook the chicken however you desire. For me, the easiest way is to throw 2-3 chicken breasts in a crock pot on low for 3-4 hours. Sometimes I even put them in frozen. Shred chicken while warm.
You can also boil the chicken with onion and then shred it.
Rotisserie chicken can also be used.
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet add Rotel tomatoes and cook for one minute or medium heat to reduce the liquid in them.
Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. This can also be done in the microwave.
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Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in the baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the filled tortillas with cheese. Pour the cream on top and salsa verde if you like a spicier version.
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Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. Take off foil and cook for another 10-15 mins, or until top is golden brown. I like to broil for about 1 minute at the end to brown the cheese. Serve with black beans, Cilantro Lime Rice, and pico de gallo. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
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Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. This can also be done in the microwave.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS
Serve with Cilantro Lime Rice, Pico De Gallo, black beans, refried beans, guacamole, or sour cream.
OTHER CHICKEN RECIPES
- Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Chicken Parmesan Roll-Ups
- One-Pan Cheesy, Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
- One-Pan Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet
- One-Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice
- One-Pan Monterey Chicken Pasta
- Baked Parmesan Caesar Chicken
- One-Pot Bacon Broccoli Pasta
- One-Pan Baked Ziti Skillet
- Tomato Basil Chicken Quinoa
- One-Pan Chicken and Spinach Orzo
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
- 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups chopped or shredded, cooked chicken breast, (see Note)
- 8 (8 - inch) flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- optional 1/2 cup salsa verde for a spicier version
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet add Rotel tomatoes and cook for one minute over medium heat to reduce the liquid in them. Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. This can also be done in the microwave.
- Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese. Drizzle with cream and salsa verde if you like a spicier version.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. Take off foil and cook for another 10-15 mins, or until top is golden brown. I like to broil for about 1 minute at the end to brown the cheese. Serve with black beans, Cilantro Lime Rice, and pico de gallo.
Notes
what kind of black beans do you use? its hard finding one in a can with low sodium and healthy >_<
Sorry, my site was down when you asked this. I use Goya but I don’t think they are low in sodium.
I made these enchiladas last night and they were delish! Since it’s just two of us we had plenty of leftovers (which we’ll eat again for dinner tonight!) I topped mine with hot salsa before baking and then served with sour cream on the side.
@Rachel,
Haha! I have to admit that most of them are cheap shampoos and conditioners which is probably why I still have them lingering there. I love Pantene Pro-v as cheap options. I use Biolage smoothing shampoo and conditioner to help tame my frizzy hair. I also love Bumble and Bumble Coco but it’s really expensive…
Ok so I have to know what are your favorite brands of shampoo and conditioner? I am always on the search for hair products that will change my life and it sounds like you might know a thing or two about this so tell me your favorites! Thanks!
Rachel
@Cardioqueen,
I usually put some water in there (broth would be good too) but last time I threw them in there frozen with no water and they came out perfectly moist!
You are too much, but I totally agree with you! 🙂 These look and sound so good. When you throw the frozen/thawed chicken breasts in the crockpot, do you put any water or broth in there with them or just let them cook by themselves?
@Shannon,
You can use just plain diced tomatoes, drained of course.
I made these a few days ago and not only do I love them but my unadventurous/picky husband who doesn’t eat Mexican food loved them! I’m 11 weeks pregnant and can’t stand most food right now so these are a godsend!
Wow, I can’t imagine having four kids and trying to keep a tidy house, I totally agree with you on this one. And the enchiladas look amazing, I wish I could make these, too bad my hubs is semi-lactos intolerent. Love your blog!
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We have a housecleaner and it is one of the best decisions. Please don’t judge me, because we do not have any kids. It is my husband and I and our two dogs. We got a cleaning lady when I was working full time AND completing my master’s degree full time. I didnt want to spend what little free time I had cleaning our house. After I finished school and we moved, we went without a cleaning lady for about a year. It was actually my husband who wanted to start it back up again. We both work full time but now HE is the one working on a masters, and his job requires him to travel. His logic is that paying someone to clean our house gets it done in just a few hours. Whereas if he or I had to do it on the weekends, it’d be the whole day. Plus it probably wouldn’t get done. If it is important to you, fight for it! If you need to make a compromise, see what you can figure out. It is definitely a lot easier to keep a tidy and orderly home when someone else does most of the legwork. I’m sure my husband would tell you I’m a more pleasant person, haha
I agree if I could afford it a house cleaner would be top on my list. I would give up many things for one!
I do have a question, if you can not eat the spicy jalapenos what can you use in place of the rotel andything?
These look awesome! Care to enter them in our Food Blogger Recipe Contest? Details on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/iCookbook/app_362236730512337
With 5 kids and a dog my husband and I agree that our house cleaner is worth every penny! She comes once a week just to deep clean our 4 bathrooms . In addition she alternates every other week with dusting or mopping. We can do everything else but having our bathrooms clean all at the same time is a HUGE help. I look at having a house cleaner as a help to me and I’m able to help someone who needs the money 🙂
I hear you on the house cleaning issue! With 5 in our home and 4 of those 5 being under 4. There is just no time in the day to stay on top of it all. No sooner do I get one area cleaned and another is dirty. You add in living in the country with dirt, mud, a dog, horses, cattle and a husband that believes he should not take off his shoes regardless of what he has on them..And well…You just plain give up. We only have a 2700 sqft house so were a bit tight with kids, toys and well life!
Yes. As soon as I clean the windows someone does a blowfish on them. Oh well!
I say if it is at possible financially, hire a house cleaner and enjoy the extra time with the kids. If I had it to do all over again, that is what I would do and I only had two kids!
Nominated you for the One Very Lovely Blog and Inspiring Blogger Award. Stop by and check it out.
Sister, I feel your pain. I have 4 kids aged 7,4,2 and 5 months. Phew. My house is messy at best. We can live, but forget organized. (My kitchen is always clean too). But seriously, I would rather love on my kids in a kinda clean house than ignore them in a meticulous house.
I absolutely agree!
A house cleaner is something I have always said I would splurge on if I had the extra money. I don’t care who you are, everyone desirers a little extra help around the house, especially if you have ‘others’ you have to pick up after (kids, husbands, or pets). Oh and I am totally the same way, I currently have 2 different body washes, 3 shampoos, and 1 conditioner in my shower because I like ‘variety’.
Get a housecleaner. I used to work two jobs, and now that I only have one, I still work just as hard. I have no children, so my house stays relatively clean, HOWEVER, I make cuts everywhere else to afford to have someone come in ONCE a month to really scrub my place. It’s worth every penny. Tell your husband to remember the saying “a happy wife = a happy life….” it’s too stressful, and who wants that? DO IT.
Btw, I love enchiladas and I can’t wait to try these! (I love the honey lime one’s as well). Thank you!
My husband and I have the same “discussion”.
I am so making these enchiladas!!
I want a housekeeper just because I hate the job so much!! HATE.
Awesome story and recipe!
Love your blog!
I wanted to share that I am the same way with my shampoo and conditioner and most of them have barely anything left. I know I should throw them out but I just can’t. I think this is how a hoarder must feel.
We’ll be hoarders together.;)
Yum! I love Mexican!! So good and delish!! Your recipe sounds out of this world!
Fight for the housekeeper! lol Oh how I would love to have someone come in every once in a while to deep clean. When I had a few kids I was able to keep up on things pretty well, but not with my 8, soon to be 9 kids now…19 bottles of shampoo and conditioner?! Totally made me giggle…Looking forward to trying this recipe also. Looks super yummy!
i got really excited at this recipe because your black bean chicken enchilada recipe is one of my staples and favorites. but then i realized i already make this exact recipe. (and i LOVE it). thanks for sharing your recipes. yours are easily now some of my favorite staples! – danielle
If we could afford it, I would have someone clean my house in a heartbeat. No guilt. No second thoughts. Unfortunately, that is not our reality, but if it’s yours, go for it!!
If you’re the one doing the majority of the cleaning, and you feel like you can’t do the job, or would rather actually spend time with your family, get a cleaning person! You can probably always find groupon offers enough to always have it done at a discount!
This made me smile because we have four kids as well and I feel the same. With one and two my house was still as clean as I like it to be, with three it was harder and four – even though the older two do their chores – it is too much! I secretly tell myself that if we could afford it I would have someone come and clean once…or twice, a month. I have never even broached the subject with my super frugal hubby though 🙂 But he does help out a ton with the cleaning so that will have to do! Oh, and the enchiladas look amazing! Can’t wait to try.
We have a lady that comes every other week. Every time we have the budget discussion I mention dropping her but my husband refuses. He says our marriage is better (which is a nice way of saying I’m less hateful) when she comes. Better than marriage counseling. 🙂
And cheaper than marriage counseling.
Getting a cleaner is totally worth it. I work full time outside the home (which sounds like less work that staying at home with 4 kids, actually), and I have one kid (and one on the way). When we moved into our current (bigger) house with our daughter, who was 2 months old at the time, I was pretty insistent on the cleaner, while my husband was completely opposed. So we sat down and made a list of everything that had to get done: grocery shopping, lawn care, laundry, cooking, cleaning, ect. and allotted the time it takes to do those things and how often they need to be done. We divided the chores evenly and gave it a 2 month trial run. After 2 months, only one of the bathrooms had been cleaned, the lawn was a mess, and I discovered vacuuming stairs to be way more difficult than I thought. My husband finally gave in and we’ve had a cleaner for 2 years. He still complains (of course it doesn’t get done the way you would do it), but the house is clean. And we’re spending our weekends as a family rather than attacking chores. Just because you are at home does not mean you aren’t working full time (plus OT). See what your hubby thinks if he has to do half the cleaning…
Love your blog!
First of all, the enchiladas look amazing and I’m making them immediately.
Second, I’m one of four and we always had a housekeeper/maid/whatever growing up. She wouldn’t allow the housekeeper to clean our bedrooms (which is something I’m grateful for because to this day, at 25, I still make my bed every morning) but it definitely saved her time and allowed her to spend more time with us on the weekends instead of cleaning.
I’m a sucker for any food and every food Mexican!!! Good luck with the housekeeper!
Do not feel in anyway bad about getting a house keeper. Times are different and people are busier than our parents and grandparents. I only work part-time, and my husband works from home and we still have a weekly house cleaner. Yes, it’s an expense we would cut should we get in a tight financial situation, but we can afford it, and it keeps me from killing my husband who does not only not clean, but does not notice when it’s not clean. He just doesn’t care. I do. Nuf said. Get a house keeper. Do it.
Ok. I’m sold:)
Fight for the cleaning lady. I had one years ago when I used to travel every.single.week M-F and back then I only had the four dogs. I didn’t want to spent my wkends cleaning. She came every other wk and it did help me since my husband wasn’t going to clean.
Enchilladas look amazing. Can’t wait to try it.
The enchiladas look so good! I am going to try them soon. I have three kids and understand how hard it is to get everything done. I always wanted someone to come in about once a month to do a real good cleaning and I would do the daily/weekly stuff. I could never get my husband to agree, and he never made a big deal if the house was a mess. Your children will remember the time you spend with them and not how clean their house was growing up. I still won’t give it up, maybe someday I will get that cleaning lady!
Get a house cleaner. Your house is not too big, you just have more important and/or fun things to do. If you want to spend your limited conscious hours cleaning your house with your family, then do so, but I’d rather spend mine in the yard or on an outing or playing a board game.
I was the one that fought the idea but fortunately my husband said “look, it’s not getting done, I’m not going to do it but find someone who will”. Best money spent but I do feel weird about it sometimes. Like I SHOULD be able to do this.
Amen!